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Hey Hey, Not to make a stupid post but I've got a question about a few things. The other day me and my friends were talking and the topic of moving to Canada came up. Yea, We're all Americans and there were alot of reasons for and against the move. Canada is by far America's favorite neighbor and at least for me the political differences always served as a balance for our hemisphere that made a healthy mindset.
Im so young to consider this (if I posted my age you'd laugh) but I have seriously considered moving to Canada because of the lifestyle (as displayed in America) and the growth potential for the country. (Especially since your population is on a decline )
The biggest problem for all of us seemed to be the radical (to us) socialist system of taxing and medical benefits. Being relatively un-American in saying: I don't wish for Canada to accomodate me as a ruthless money hungry American but instead as a Canadian. My real question lies therein: Are the governmental programs and organizations THAT bad in Canada or is it just our perception. (Posts that compare both sides would be appreciated sense a one sided description is often unhelpful)
Thanks for reading and I hope you'll answer some questions! Maybe I'll see you in a decade or so!

(I'm in the IB program and im pretty familiar with aspects of foreign government so don't worry to much about overwhelming me)

I'll always be partial to good ol' America but one of my favorite aspects of Canada is the lack of militaristic nationalism, or at least as far as I've seen it.

   

Easy !
Answer: They are not THAT bad !



We are more on the "left" than the americans but that doesn't mean we are socialists (like america seems to label us). Actually, it really depends of the province you live in.

I think the major difference would be the healthcare system. Here, we pay more taxes but we have what's called universal healthcare. That means, by law, no one has to pay for medical treatments. The bad side is that the hospitals are full and the queues for special treatments are very long.

Education is also free until university. It really depends of the province you are in but in Quebec (one of the (or the) more socialistic provincial system in Canada) a semester in university is about 600-800$CND.

There's no such thing as '2nd amendment'. Guns are very regulated. They even passed a law requiring to register every guns on Canada soil (which was a REAL fiasco).
Here we see america as a kind of "police state" but as the Molson Canadian beer said: Canada is peacekeeping, not policing.

Well that's what I have in mind right now i'm quite tired hehe. I'm sure others will give them their point of view.
So it may seem THAT bad from a hardcore right-wing capitalist but it's basically just the fact that we pay more taxes but get more services. They may be not that great but they are free.

   

It is??? I would like to think this country procreates like everybody else, as well as the swelling number of immigrants.



Not as radical as your government it seems. I would also like to think Canadas medical benefits are above the American style but that maybe just be me.



Err define bad? Exactly what information would you get in the U.S to percieve our programs and organizations as bad? As well, look all around this forum and you will see diverse subjects concerning the difference between our governments, some bad, some good, some biased.



Au contraire Canada actually happens to be one of the most militaristic countries ever, secret programs and the like...Yah hard to believe eh? ha ha j/k. But other than that, welcome aboard, Im sure some others can answer your questions more thoroughly.

   

Err education is not free until University....unless im mistaken and my Mom DIDNT pay the school fees...

   

Well, I was talking about the system in Quebec.
I thought it was the same in every province.

   

So in Quebec you dont have to pay for middle school and high school?

   

Nop. We pay books and everything but not an annual fee to "subscribe".

   

Eh, who really cares.I think in Norway or Sweden its free or something like that.

   

Actually, Canada is on a statistical decline which is why they are advertising to the illegal immigrants in America (or so I have heard). Apparently Canada is not reaching the reproduction quota to maintain it's population. I saw it on the news the other day.

   

Canada has a population growth rate of .9% and the U.S. has one of .92%. Only major countries with population decline are Russia and Germany.

   

Canada advertises to illegal immigrants in America? I think Canada advertises to legal immigrants so their valued skills may prove an asset to Canada. Might I inquire what news had this? It is true that developed countries have birth decline rate but that goes for the U.S as well. So you can say that the decline is in the U.S as well not just Canada my friend.

1776 .9% to .92% are you sure about that?

   

Taxes in Ontario and Alberta are competitive with those in most of the US. But the taxes aren't that bad. In return for slightly higher taxes you get free healthcare. I say free but be warned, elective surgeries can still cost you money and unless you have medical insurance of some type you will still have to pay for medication. But don't worry, it only costs a fraction of what Americans pay. In a province like Ontario the government is introducing a co-pay system to help fund the skyrocketing Health Care costs (I think I read 60% of the provincial budget goes to Health Care) which will means that when you visit the doctor you have to pay something like $10 (~$8.40 USD). You also get affordable education (Elementary and Secondary school are free, but there may be subject-related costs for workbooks and the like) which includes low (by American standards) tuition fees. You also get clean streets and low crime. You also get a federal government responsible enough not to spend more money than it generates in tax revenue. It's a quaint little concept, but we like it. Gasoline costs more, but generally the cost of living is less. Even in our large cities, which are rather expensive, living costs are low compared to in the US.

There is a reason Canada is perpetually ranked among the Top 3 countries in which to live.

Oh, and we don't overreact to silly little things.

As an example:

When the US President got a hummer from an intern in the privacy of his own office Americans had congressional hearings and impeached the President.

When the Canadian Prime Minister throttled (choked) a protester on National Television, we re-elected him. Twice.

You should also know, our courts have decided they do exist to make people rich. So if you sue someone, don't expect to get punitive damages. You'll only collect for actual injury and loss of income.

Oh, and when you see a woman's boobs on TV, don't have a heart attack. It's not uncommon. Short of Hardcore Porn the CRTC (our equivilant of the FCC) doesn't care much about Nudity as long as it's after 9PM. We even show uneditied episodes of The Sopranos on actual network television.

   

So the cost of gas doesn't killy ou guys? Even with a lower cost of living you guys pay an incredible amount for gas. (I was even more appauled when I figured out it was per liter and not gallon) I went there last summer and even though my currency waaas higher I still had the urge to rip people out of their cars for driving. It seemed insane to me to drive when gas was so astronomically high. (lol gas was a $2.25 2 weeks ago and we were freaking out.)

   

Hey the gas in Europe is 3 times the price

We are not so bad for a socialist country !!

   

They are good. You've been lied to.

   

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